Part 3/6:
These paradigms of control are not confined to personal practices but are also embedded within the medical and psychiatric industrial complex. The tools used in these systems—such as medication, therapy modalities, and behavioral interventions—often emphasize regulation through external means of control.
This extension signifies a broader systemic endorsement of power dynamics, where control over individuals’ mental states becomes a tool of systemic oppression. Approaches that pathologize natural variations in mood and cognition can serve to reinforce existing hierarchies, marginalizing those who deviate from normative standards of behavior and emotional expression.